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John Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough

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For other people named John Spencer-Churchill, see John Spencer-Churchill (disambiguation).
The Duke of Marlborough
John Albert Edward William Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough
Member of the House of Lords
as Duke of Marlborough

In office
30 June 1934 – 11 March 1972
Preceded by Charles Spencer-Churchill
Succeeded by John Spencer-Churchill
Personal details
Born John Albert Edward William Spencer-Churchill
(1897-09-18)18 September 1897
London, England
Died 11 March 1972(1972-03-11) (aged 74)
London, England
Spouse(s)
  • Hon. Alexandra Mary Cadogan (m. 1920; d 1961)
  • Laura (Charteris) Canfield (m. 1972)
Children
Parents
Residence Blenheim Palace

John Albert Edward William Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough, DL (18 September 1897 – 11 March 1972), styled Marquess of Blandford until 1934, was a British military officer and peer.

Early life[]

Duke Marlborough Singer Sargent

Portrait of John Spencer-Churchill with his parents and younger brother, by John Singer Sargent, 1905.

He was born in London on 18 September 1897 as the first of two sons born to Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough and his first wife, the former Consuelo Vanderbilt, an American railroad heiress.[1] His younger brother was Lord Ivor Spencer-Churchill who joined the Royal Army Service Corps and fought in the First World War.[2] His parents separated in 1906 and divorced in 1921. Later that year his mother married Lt. Col. Jacques Balsan, a French balloon, aircraft, and hydroplane pilot,[3] and his father married the French American Gladys Deacon.[4][5]

His paternal grandparents were George Spencer-Churchill, 8th Duke of Marlborough and his first wife, Lady Albertha Hamilton (a daughter of James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn and Lady Louisa Russell).[6]

His mother was the eldest child, and only daughter, of William Kissam Vanderbilt, a New York railroad millionaire, and the former Alva Erskine Smith. They divorced in 1895; she married his friend Oliver Belmont and he married the widow Anna Harriman.[7] His maternal uncles were William Kissam Vanderbilt II and Harold Stirling Vanderbilt.

Marlborough was educated at Eton before joining the Life Guards.[8]

Career[]

Prior to inheriting the dukedom in 1934, he was a lieutenant-colonel in the Life Guards, and served with distinction in France and Belgium during World War I. After the war, he served as Mayor of Woodstock from 1937 to 1942, where Blenheim is located. His wife served as the first woman mayor of Woodstock.[9] He also served as High Steward of Oxford in 1937.[10] He enlisted during World War II and was a military liaison officer with the United States forces in Britain.[8]

In 1950, the Duke opened the grounds and many rooms of Blenheim Palace (including the bedroom in which Sir Winston Churchill was born) to the public to help defray the cost of upkeep.[11] Today, he is known as one of the originators of the "stately homes" business.[8]

Personal life[]

Bladon, Oxfordshire - St Martin's Church - churchyard, grave of 10th Duke of Marlborough 1

The grave of the 10th Duke of Marlborough and his first wife at St Martin's Church, Bladon.

On 17 February 1920, he was married to the Hon. Alexandra Mary Cadogan (1900–1961) at a ceremony at St Margaret's Church in London attended by King George V and Queen Mary.[12] As a wedding gift, his maternal grandfather gave him a house in London.[12] She was a daughter of Henry Cadogan, Viscount Chelsea, the son and heir of George Henry Cadogan, 5th Earl Cadogan.[9] Together, they had two sons and three daughters:

  • Lady Sarah Consuelo Spencer-Churchill (1921–2000),[13] who married Edwin Fariman Russell (1914–2001) in Westminster in 1943. They divorced in Reno, Nevada in 1966 and she married Guy Burgos Ossa the same year. They divorced in 1967 in Mexico and she married thirdly to Theo Roubanis in Philadelphia in 1967.[14]
  • Lady Caroline Spencer-Churchill (1923–1992),[15] who married Major Charles Huguenot Waterhouse (1918–2007) of Middleton Hall, Middleton-by-Youlgreave in Woodstock, Oxfordshire in 1946.[16]
  • John George Vanderbilt Henry Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough (1926–2014), who married four times.[17][18][19]
  • Lady Rosemary Mildred Spencer-Churchill (b. 1929), a lady in waiting to Queen Elizabeth II, she married Charles Robert Muir (d. 1972) at Oxford in 1953.[20]
  • Lord Charles George William Colin Spencer-Churchill (1940–2016), who married Gillian Spreckels Fuller (b. 1946), a great-granddaughter of California industrialist and financier John D. Spreckels, in 1965.[21][22] They divorced in 1968[23] and in 1970, he married Elizabeth Jane Wyndham (b. 1948), a great-niece of the interior decorator Nancy Lancaster.[24]

Second marriage[]

Six weeks before his death, on 26 January 1972, the Duke married his second wife, (Frances) Laura (née Charteris) Canfield (1915–1990), the widow of the American publishing heir Michael Temple Canfield (whose first wife had been Caroline Lee Bouvier, the sister of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis). Laura Canfield was the second daughter of the Hon. Guy Lawrence Charteris (the second son of Hugo Charteris, 11th Earl of Wemyss and Lady Frances Lucy Tennant). Laura's older sister, Ann Geraldine Mary Charteris, was married to the novelist Ian Fleming. Laura herself was previously married to and divorced from Walter Long, 2nd Viscount Long and William Ward, 3rd Earl of Dudley.[25]

The Duke died at a hospital in London on 11 March 1972,[8] and was succeeded by his son John Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford.[10] He and his first wife are buried in the churchyard of St Martin's Church, Bladon.

Descendants[]

Through his eldest daughter, Lady Sarah (who inherited the bulk of his mother's estate upon her death in 1965),[26] he was a grandfather of four: Serena Mary Churchill Russell (b. 1944) (who married Neil Balfour), Consuelo Sarah Russell (b. 1946), Alexandra Brenda Russell (b. 1949), and Jacqueline Russell (b. 1958).[10]

Through his second daughter, Lady Caroline, he was a grandfather of three: Michael Thomas Waterhouse (b. 1949), Elizabeth Ann Waterhouse (b. 1951) (who married Sir Richard Gervase Beckett), and David Charles Waterhouse (b. 1956).[10]

Through his third daughter Lady Rosemary, he was a grandfather of three: Alexander Pepys Muir (b. 1954) (a godson of Princess Margaret),[27] Simon Huntly Muir (b. 1959), and Mary Arabella Muir (b. 1962).[10]

Through his youngest son, Lord Charles, he was a grandfather of three: Rupert John Harold Mark Spencer-Churchill (b. 1971), Dominic Albert Charles Spencer-Churchill (b. 1979), and Alexander David Spencer-Churchill (b. 1983).[10]

References[]

  1. ↑ "Mrs. Balsan Dies; Former Vanderhill". The New York Times. 7 December 1964. https://www.nytimes.com/1964/12/07/archives/mrs-balsan-dies-former-vanderhill.html?searchResultPosition=2. 
  2. ↑ Times, Special to the New York (18 September 1956). "LORD IVOR CHURCHILL, 57; Patron of Modern Art, a Noted Collector, Dies in London". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1956/09/18/archives/lord-ivor-churchill-57-patron-of-modern-art-a-noted-collector-dies.html. 
  3. ↑ "JACQUES BALSAN, AVIATION PIONEER; French Flier Is Dead at 88-- War Pilot Set Records in Balloons and Planes Volunteer in Morocco". The New York Times. 6 November 1956. https://www.nytimes.com/1956/11/06/archives/jacques-balsan-aviation-pioneer-french-flier-is-dead-at-88-war.html?searchResultPosition=2. 
  4. ↑ "MARLBOROUGH WILL WED GLADYS DEACON; Dukes Engagement to Former Friend of His Ex-Wife Announced in London.BRIDE-TO-BE WELL KNOWNHas Several Times Been Reported Engaged to Marry Members of European Nobility.". The New York Times. 2 June 1921. https://www.nytimes.com/1921/06/02/archives/marlborough-will-wed-gladys-deacon-dukes-engagement-to-former.html?searchResultPosition=5. 
  5. ↑ Apple Jr, R. W. (18 October 1977). "Dowager Duchess of Marlborough, Friend of Proust, Degas and Rilke". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1977/10/18/archives/dowager-duchess-of-marlborough-friend-of-proust-degas-and-rilke.html?searchResultPosition=6. 
  6. ↑ "MARLBOROUGH DIES; NINTH DUKE OF LINE; Marriage in 1895 to Consuelo Vanderbilt, Then 17, Was Widely Discussed. OWNED BLENHEIM ESTATE Soldier and an Active Figure in Public Affairs -- His Heir Has Dairy Produce Shop.". The New York Times. 1 July 1934. https://www.nytimes.com/1934/07/01/archives/marlborough-dies-ninth-duke-of-line-ri-i-i-oo-vanderbilt-then-17.html?searchResultPosition=1. 
  7. ↑ Stuart, Amanda Mackenzie, Consuelo and Alva Vanderbilt: The Story of a Daughter and Mother in the Gilded Age, Harper Perennial, 2005, ISBN 978-0-06-093825-3, p. 69
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "Duke of Marlborough Is Dead; Master of Blenheim Palace, 74". The New York Times. 12 March 1972. https://www.nytimes.com/1972/03/12/archives/duke-of-marlborough-is-dead-master-of-blenheim-palace-74-was-an.html?searchResultPosition=7. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Duchess of Marlborough Dies; Often Was Hostess to the Queen". The New York Times. 24 May 1961. https://www.nytimes.com/1961/05/24/archives/duchess-of-marlborough-dies-often-was-hostess-to-the-queen.html?searchResultPosition=9. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 "Marlborough, Duke of (E, 1702)". Heraldic Media Limited.. http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/marlborough1702.htm. 
  11. ↑ Leonard, John (24 September 1950). "Stately Showmen; British nobles are turning their palaces into museums.". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1950/09/24/archives/stately-showmen-british-nobles-are-turning-their-palaces-into.html?searchResultPosition=1. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "KING AND QUEEN AT BLANDFORD NUPTIAL; Marquis, Son of Duchess of Marlborough, Marries the Honorable Mary Cadogan IN ST. MARGARET'S CHURCH Bridegroom Is a Grandson of Wm. K. Vanderbilt, Sr., Who Gave Him a London House as Present.". The New York Times. 18 February 1920. https://www.nytimes.com/1920/02/18/archives/king-and-queen-at-blandford-nuptial-marquis-son-of-duchess-of.html?searchResultPosition=7. 
  13. ↑ "Marchioness of Blandford's Infant Daughter Christened". http://www.topfoto.co.uk/imageflows/preview/t=topfoto&f=EU003901. 
  14. ↑ Pace, Eric (19 October 2000). "Lady Sarah Consuelo Spencer-Churchill, 78, Dies". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/19/nyregion/lady-sarah-consuelo-spencer-churchill-78-dies.html?searchResultPosition=1. 
  15. ↑ "Lady Caroline Waterhouse (née Spencer-Churchill)". https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw69638/Lady-Caroline-Waterhouse-ne-Spencer-Churchill. 
  16. ↑ TIMES, Special to THE NEW YORK (6 December 1946). "MARLBOROUGH KIN IS WED; Lady Caroline Spencer-Churchill Bride of Maj. Hugo Waterhouse". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1946/12/06/archives/marlborough-kin-is-wed-lady-caroline-spencerchurchill-bride-of-maj.html?searchResultPosition=1. 
  17. ↑ "Duke of Marlborough dies". Blenheim Palace. http://www.blenheimpalace.com/. 
  18. ↑ "BLANDFORD TO MARRY; Marquess, Friend of Princess, to Wed Miss Susan Hornby". The New York Times. 20 June 1951. https://www.nytimes.com/1951/06/20/archives/blandford-to-marry-marquess-friend-of-princess-to-wed-miss-susan.html?searchResultPosition=7. 
  19. ↑ Ehrlich, Phyllis A. (1 June 1972). "Swedish Countess Bride of Duke of Marlborough". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1972/06/01/archives/swedish-countess-bride-of-duke-of-marlborough.html?searchResultPosition=4. 
  20. ↑ "Churchill's Cousin Wed to Broker". The New York Times. 27 June 1953. https://www.nytimes.com/1953/06/27/archives/churchills-cousin-wed-to-broker.html?searchResultPosition=9. 
  21. ↑ "Marlborough's 2d Son Fiance of Gillian Fuller". The New York Times. 25 April 1965. https://www.nytimes.com/1965/04/25/archives/marlboroughs-2d-son-fiance-of-gillian-fuller.html?searchResultPosition=5. 
  22. ↑ Times, Special to The New York (24 July 1965). "London Wedding For the 2d Son 0u Marlborough; Miss Gilllan Fuller Is His Bride in a Small, Informal Ceremony". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1965/07/24/archives/london-wedding-for-the-2d-son-0u-marlborough-miss-gilllan-fuller-is.html?searchResultPosition=7. 
  23. ↑ Times, Special to The New York (29 February 1968). "Lady Spencer-Churchill Divorced". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1968/02/29/archives/lady-spencerchurchill-divorced.html?searchResultPosition=9. 
  24. ↑ Thomas Jr, Robert Mcg (27 February 1972). "Lady With a Famous Name Takes a Fling at Modeling". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1972/02/27/archives/lady-with-a-famous-name-takes-a-fling-at-modeling.html?searchResultPosition=1. 
  25. ↑ "Marlborough to Marry Mrs. Canfield". The New York Times. 19 January 1972. https://www.nytimes.com/1972/01/19/archives/marlborough-to-marry-mrs-canfield.html?searchResultPosition=3. 
  26. ↑ "Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan Left Bulk of Estate to Granddaughter". The New York Times. 2 January 1965. https://www.nytimes.com/1965/01/02/archives/consuelo-vanderbilt-balsan-left-bulk-of-estate-to-granddaughter.html?searchResultPosition=1. 
  27. ↑ "Yvonne's Royalty Home Page: Royal Godchildren". http://users.uniserve.com/~canyon/godchildren.htm#Margaret. 

External links[]

Peerage of England
Preceded by
Charles Spencer-Churchill 		Duke of Marlborough
1934–1972 		Succeeded by
John Spencer-Churchill
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